ISIS release picture of gunman they say carried out Tunisia atrocity

The Islamic State group has claimed credit for the attack, identifying the gunman by his jihadi pseudonym Abu Yahya al-Qayrawani, the SITE Intelligence Group has reported.

His real name has been reported as Seifeddine Rezgui.

The attack, which killed 39 people in Tunisia including Irish woman Lorna Carty and injured many more, is now believed to have been carried out by one lone gunman.

Tunisia's prime minister has said an initial investigation showed the gunman who killed at least 39 people at a beach resort was from a village in a poor central region of Tunisia and had never travelled abroad.

Habib Essid said that Rezgui, who was killed by police after the attack in Sousse, was not previously known by authorities.

He said he came from the town of Gaafour in the governorate of Siliana and had been a student at Kairouan university.

So far eight Britons, one Belgian, one German and one Irish national have been confirmed among the dead.

The head of the Imperial Marhaba Hotel said everyone is being moved out of the hotel that was at the centre of the attack.

Mohammed Becheur said that before the attack, 75% of the hotel's 370 rooms were booked, one of the highest occupancy rates in Sousse.

"We may have zero clients today, but we will keep our staff," he said outside the hotel a day after the rampage by a lone gunman. "This summer will be hard but we are confident for the long term."

The beach area behind the hotel is blocked off and being patrolled by plain-clothes men with guns. The sunbeds and straw umbrellas are all carefully in place. Three Germans laid flowers on an overturned beach chair.

Employees at the nearby Mouradia Palace hotel expressed fear that they would soon be out of jobs as the attack comes right at the start of high season.